Heroes for Hire Ep 4 Sam
by Heroes For Hire
Summary: Hello everyone, and welcome to my 4th story! Just keep in mind, that my marvel universe may differ from the original one (for creative reasons). If you feel the need to contact me about anything, the info is in my bio. After a rich socialite is attacked by a serial killer, the Heroes are tasked to protect him and his family.


Heroes for hire

Heroes for Hire S1E4

"Sam"

By: Anon Anon Edited by: Anon Anon's friend

 _For Danny R. You will be remembered forevermore_

Sam had grown tired of the models, and the press. Sometimes, he felt that he was the only one who understood the person he was. His parents and two older siblings had a cohesion, an attachment he couldn't seem to fit into, even after all these years. He shook his head in disgust, as he walked towards his room, away from the bustle of people in the main lobby of the manor. Sam looked and acted quite older than he was. He had a full head of blonde hair, prominent cheekbones, and was extremely tall, even for a sophisticated British 24 year old.

He trudged slowly back to his bedroom, still in his pressed tuxedo. He needed to get away from the overall fakeness of the media, the girls, and the cheesiness of the whole situation. He quietly entered his room, removing and throwing his coat to the floor. Sam jumped onto his bed, and turned on his radio, playing one of his favourite relaxing songs: Requiem by Mozart. He closed his eyes, waving his arms to each crescendo; for he had remembered this song very dearly.

It was the first song he'd ever learned on piano, one of the only hobbies his parents forced on him that felt meaningful. He sat there in silence, doing something he truly liked. He felt alone, away from the mindless drivel. But he wasn't alone.

On one of the many parapets of the Alexander mansion, a man in black sat, eyeing the room in which Sam lay. But Sam couldn't see, the window across the foot of his bed had only blackness, and the reflection of his room projected on it.

The man brandished a weapon, and cocked his arm, ready to throw this weapon and kill his target. Sam, with eyes still closed, swayed to the roar of the chorus, taking in Mozart's majesty. The man sneered, as he adjusted, mere inches to the right, imagining what things he could do with the fat paycheck he was about to receive. He just had to wait for Sam to roll right where he was aiming.

Sam rolled, on the edge of his bed, and the man grumbled to himself when Sam didn't roll back. He repositioned himself as quickly as he could before gearing to throw again. Sam didn't seem to be moving anymore, so the assailant let his weapon fly.

It crashed through Sam's window, as Sam fell to the floor in a panic. The weapon whizzed over his head, and imbedded itself in the wall behind him. Sam slowly stood up, and turned around to see a small thin object in his wall. He ran over to it, and pulled it out of the wall, and held it in his hand. It was a small playing card; Sam stared at it confused, until another one hit the wall next to his neck.

Sam hit the floor faster than he thought was humanly possible, as two more cards hit the floor near him. Sam rolled under his bed, and looked to the door, ready to rush for it. He crawled as fast he could, opening his door before a card embedded itself into his sleeve, pinning him to the wall. Sam turned to the window, seeing the man in black before the assassin jumped off of the precipice, disappearing into the night.

Sam's parents, followed by some press and 3 models, came around the corner to find out what happened. Sam had nothing to say, he just stared out into the night.

(Cue theme)

"So, what are we doing here?" Ava asked, putting her hands on her hips accusingly. "Well, you said that we needed a base, a hideout of sorts. All I'm saying is that Rand Tower would be the best place for it to be" Danny explained. Luke nodded in response, gesturing for the group to go inside. The three entered the dusty, dilapidated building, and looked around the lobby, imagining what it originally looked like 7 years ago.

"So, what do you think?" Danny asked, as he unslung the Hearkenscythe from his back. "You should be more careful with that" Ava stated, "It's not very conspicuous" Danny nodded, before hopping over the receptionists desk. "Looking for the elevator key" Danny explained, before finding it and walking over to the elevator. "C'mon guys" Danny said, as the other two climbed in. Danny punched a floor, and the old elevator trundled into life, and began to climb.

Ava noted "It is really crowded in here, I can feel someone's knee on my back" Danny and Luke stared at each other, until the elevator came to a stop. The three got out, and looked around, before realizing that they were in some sort of executive office.

"So guys, this was my dad's office…" Danny started. "Who WAS your dad?" Ava asked, before Danny gave her a look. "What?!" she asked defensively. "My dad was Wendell Rand, proud owner of this company, before he died in the mountains and was never seen again" Danny explained, before he walked off. Ava frowned, thinking she should follow him, but Luke nodded and stopped her.

"Ava, Danny watched his whole family die in front of him when he was 7. So, just leave him alone for NOW" Luke explained, and Ava nodded somberly. Danny put the Hearkenscythe down, as he walked around his Dad's old office. He saw the brown swivel chair made of some exotic fabric, the maps he made to try to find K'un-Lun.

It overwhelmed and hurt Danny a bit. He sat down on the floor, and closed his eyes whispering something, and sighing. Ava quietly entered, followed by Luke, who both sat down besides Danny. They stared at him, until Danny reopened his eyes, standing up, and sitting down in his dad's old chair. He opened the desk, to find something peculiar in it: car keys.

 _But, why?_ Danny thought, before standing up and showing his friends what he found. "Hey, are those-?" Luke asked, before smiling. "Want to check the garage?!" Danny exclaimed, as his two friends nodded.

…

The three entered the dark and spacious parking garage, and exited the elevator into the darkness. Ava turned on her phone's flashlight to reveal something of beauty. In front of three lay an, albeit dirty and dusty, glorious 1971 convertible Corvette Stingray in yellow. Danny gasped, and said "I really hope these keys fit." He ran over to the car, hopped over the door, and put in the keys.

The car sputtered, and Danny smiled with a childish grin, thanking his dad silently. Ava then mentioned, "Hey, Danny. You know that you have absolutely no clue how to drive?" "I'm a fast learner, it's fine" Danny said, as he high-fived Luke. Suddenly, Ava's phone buzzed. She checked the message, and proclaimed, "C'mon guys, we got another mission."

"With the new and improved Heroes, booooooooooy" Danny exclaimed, not getting out of the Corvette. "I'm driving" Ava said, rolling her eyes discreetly.

…

The Heroes pulled up into the Alexander mansion in the Catmobile, and disembarked as menacingly as possible. The three walked up the long driveway, and entered the crime scene as covertly as possibly. "So, who are you three?" an older lady asked. "We're the Heroes for Hire, can't tell by our costumes?" Ava asked. "You look like a fetish model to be honest" The lady stated. Ava blushed profusely, feeling anger and embarrassment at the same time.

The lady was a bit older than the three expected, but still had fair skin and bright blue eyes."Are you…..Eva Alexander?" Luke asked abruptly, brushing the woman's rude comment aside. "Why yes, are you here for the attack last night?" She asked back. "Uh huh" Luke responded, as the three walked deeper into the beautiful manor. "Sam's room is down the hall to the right….by a couple hundred feet" "Hundred feet?!" Ava hissed under her breath.

They walked through the immaculate, high-ceilinged hallways, draped in clean red carpets, and had candelabras on the walls every few feet. It felt quite homely for a large manor.

The three entered Sam's room, to find an immaculately dressed gentleman playing piano. "So, this is the guy nearly killed last night?" Luke whispered to his friends, "Looks fine to me"

Sam turned around, after finishing his song, and said "Oh good! The guests are here. My name is Samuel Alexander" He reached his hand to hand shake, and only met Ava's hand. _What a beautiful girl,_ Sam thought, as he met her eyes for a second. Danny looked at Sam with hostility, but Sam didn't notice.

Luke asked, "So what exactly happened here last night?" "I bailed on a pretty bleak party last night, I'm quite lonely these days, and the company was atrocious, so I entered my room, right?" Sam started, "And some guy, some guy in black, threw PLAYING CARDS at me. These playing cards damaged my wall here" He said, gesturing to the wall. "Then, he pinned me against the wall with one of the cards, jumped down, and ran off." Sam finished explaining.

Luke acknowledged, then asked "Where was this...man in black?" Sam looked around, before opening his window, and hopped out onto the roof. "Come on! You ARE my guests" He called. Ava shrugged to Danny, and the three followed him out to the roof.

They got to the parapet where the killer stood, examining the crime scene. Ava got down on all fours to examine a footprint she found. "Hey guys! Look at this" Luke and Danny crouched down next to her. "What am I exactly looking at here?" Danny asked timidly. "I think I see some shoe prints is all" Ava explained.

"So, do these shoes mean anything? Or is my life still in incredible danger?" Sam asked. "Well, no one is truly safe" Ava said bluntly. "Jesus Christ" Luke mumbled, as Sam stared blankly at her. "Do you guys want anything to drink? Or anything to DO, just for a bit? I mean, what kind of man doesn't give his guests drinks?" Sam asked, a little unnerved. Luke stared at Ava, with a glare that said _We need to talk later_.

"We're supposed to be doing a job here" Danny explained to Sam. "I know, but as long as you guys are here protecting me, it'll be fine. I wanted bodyguards, not detectives" Sam stated, before the four climbed back into Sam's room, and went to the built-in bar. "Is it just me, or should nobody have a house like this" Luke whispered to Danny. Danny nodded discreetly back, as the three sat down at the bar.

Sam poured them some homemade brandy, as he said "So guys, do you want to visit my club?" Sam asked. The three looked at each other, thinking how fast the last 10 minutes went by. "So, we going to just bail on the actual crime solving? We usually roll with detective stuff, is all I'm saying" Ava explained. "No, it's fine. The guy is bound to show again no doubt, and you'll get him then. If you have to stay overnight with me, so be it" Sam explained.

Ava blushed a little at that remark, with Danny still fuming. Luke asked, "So what about this club?" Luke asked, trying to bring down the tension of the situation. Ava rolled her eyes, still recovering, and added "I'd love to see the ego house" Sam looked at her a little shocked, but laughed it off as he led his new friends to the limo waiting at the front of the manor.

"This just went south a bit" Luke whispered to Danny. Danny whispered back "I know, just go with it. He is right for a pompous asshole. This Card Killer will show up." "Everyone in. We're heading to the...Ego house!" Sam exclaimed, as the three got in. The limo tore off. Sam's parents rode in the front, as Sam and Ava sat in the private booth, leaving Danny and Sam in the back.

They finally arrived at the club, still in costume, and ready to escort Sam's family out into their building. Luke stood by the door, looking around nervously. Danny grabbed Ava's hand, before preparing to escort the Alexanders out of the car.

Suddenly, something zipped through the air, going straight through the car's wall and into the driver's head killing him. "Holy shit!" Sam cried, as he fell backwards onto Ava. Another thing flew, as it hit the side of the car, causing it to rock sideways, nearly tipping over. Sam and Ava screamed in terror, as the car rocked back.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Luke called, taking off his sunglasses to look for the assassin. Another object flew, hitting the car, and causing it to roll onto the sidewalk, nearly hitting Danny. The Alexanders and Ava, albeit bruised and bloodied hastily exited the car, and got behind Luke. Two bodyguards from the club quickly came out, and dragged the terrified Alexanders behind a stone column on the front of the building. "Are you okay?" Danny asked Ava, who had a bleeding arm. "Fine, but where is he?" Ava gasped, activating her amulet.

She went limp for a second, before revealing glowing eyes, and a deepened voice. "Don't worry Dan, I'm fine" She responded, before her voice normalized. Suddenly, a figure crossed the street, a man in black holding a playing card. He played with it, tossing it between each hand triumphantly, as he called to the Heroes "HEY! Nice suits!" The Heroes tensed up, as the assailant charged them. He threw his card aggressively at the group, but Luke simply blocked it, putting up his arm as a brace.

But the card didn't deflect off of Luke, in fact it bore deep into his arms, causing Luke to stumble, screaming out in pain. Danny and Ava stared at the man in surprise and terror, as the man hopped and climbed up on a passing 18 wheeler. Danny and Ava stared at each other, before running after the truck.

Luke laid on the ground, trying to pull out the card from his bleeding arm, as Sam ran over to tend to him. "WHY DID YOU THINK THIS WOULD EVER BE A GOOD IDEA?!" Luke roared. Sam reeled in shame, before saying "All I wanted was to enjoy the company of fine people" meekly. Luke rolled his eyes in anger, before demanding "Someone call 911?"

Danny and Ava were bouncing from roof of car to roof of car, keeping the truck in their sights. "GO!" Ava called, as Danny leaped forwards, grabbing the back of the large yellow truck. "AVA! JUMP!" Danny called, reaching his arm. Ava began to run, before she slipped onto the hood of the car, frightening and enrapturing the driver at the same time.

Ava gasped, as she grabbed onto the front of the car voraciously, to stop her from crashing into the pavement at 35 mph. Danny tried to reach her, but Ava looked back at him, shouting "Danny, just make sure to catch me". She backflipped as far as she could into Danny's embrace; Danny caught her, swinging her up to the roof of the truck.

The assailant threw a card almost immediately at Ava, as she flipped over it and tackled the man, ready to swipe at him. He knocked her up, and turned towards Danny, ready to throw another one. Danny quickly unslung the Hearkenscythe, and twisted the centerpiece. Quickly and elegantly two blades extend vertically, and slid into place at a right angle to the actual staff.

The man gasped and stopped for a second, but then lunged at Danny, card in his hand. Danny sidestepped, and pushed Bullseye, swinging the end of his staff. It made a whirring sound, as a blue orb swirled in the center. Danny swung the staff, throwing the orb; it careened through the air missing the Card Killer barely, as it collided with a building sending rubble everywhere.

Danny swung his scythe in a wide arc, as the assailant threw a card at Ava, who had tried to sneak up on him. The man threw two more cards, but Danny blocked them, and threw another orb, which flew over the man's head, crashing into the street behind him. Danny closed the staff promptly, swinging just the staff to parry the close combat of the enemy. Ava jumped in literally over Danny, and put the man in a chokehold, whispering in her menacing voice "Don't struggle or this'll be far worse".

But the man simply smiled, and slashed her with the card he had up his sleeve, causing her to reel in pain. Danny leaped through the air, landing a kick on the man just as the truck turned, causing everyone to lose their balance. "I'm tired of these games" the man said, seemingly annoyed now at the two vigilantes. He threw two quick punches at Danny, landing one before decisively using the bloodstained card to stab Danny. The card went in with ease, but Danny endured the pain, and grabbed the man in black.

He reeled up his iron fist, but the man threw a card with a zip cord attached to it at Ava, tethering one end to a street lamp. She slipped, and held onto the truck, attempting to break free of it. Danny looked at Ava for a split second, but that second cost him. The man slipped free from his bond, and slapped Danny, knocking him to the ground. "Nice try, but your friend is the Bullseye on my dartboard" Bullseye proclaimed, as Ava cut the cord before she plummeted onto the road below.

She hung precariously, watching Danny and Bullseye fight it out. He turned to Danny, throwing a much thicker card at the roof of the truck. It bounced off and careened just over Danny's head, but subsequently exploded afterwards, sending Danny flying. Ava brought herself back up, reluctantly charging herself with more amulet energy. She swung at the man, knocking him over in one punch. The man sneered, watching as Ava drew closer, anger in her eyes.

Bullseye started laughing, and when Ava went to grab him, he slipped under her legs, flipping up, and grabbing her from behind. Danny slowly rolled over, to show a charred costume and several bruises on his body. "Danny!" Ava gasped, as she struggled to move. Bullseye whipped out a knife, playing with it, before bringing it to Ava.

Danny looked up at her, feeling helpless. Bullseye was ready to slit Ava's throat, but right before he did, she bent over. He ended up cutting Ava's hair, instead of his intended target. Ava winked at Danny before kicking Bullseye in the face, sending him reeling. Ava ran over, and helped Danny up. He brushed her off, whispering "I got this". He lit up his right hand with chi, while holding the Hearkenscythe with the other.

Bullseye turned to see Danny punch at him. Danny barely missed, but ended up tripping Bullseye with the scythe. He rolled off the edge of the truck, nearly hitting the road. Danny swung at his hand with the scythe; however, Bullseye kept readjusting to avoid the onslaught. He smirked again, flipping himself upwards, hitting Danny in the face, and throwing a card at Ava. The card zipped through the air, nearly hitting Ava's expansive chest.

 _Protect the goods,_ Ava thought, as she dodged. While doing so, she flung herself back at Bullseye. He frowned, hitting Danny again, before leaping towards Ava. The two clashed spectacularly, sending each other flying. Danny got up, feeling the pain of the card inside him now. He dug into his arm, and ripped it out, releasing more blood.

He held the bloodsoaked card in his hand, and smiled, throwing it aggressively at Bullseye. It slashed his side, but didn't seem to affect him overall. "I'm sick of this!" Bullseye roared, as he threw another thick card into the roof of the truck. "GET DOWN!" Danny screamed, as the roof of the car exploded. Bullseye used one of his zip cord cards to escape, as the two vigilantes fell to the road hard.

The truck flipped through the air haphazardly towards the two. Danny saw it coming, so he leapt to Ava, protecting her as the truck fell down on them, albeit just barely. The trailer laid on top of them, slowly crushing Danny by the second.

"Danny? DANNY!" Ava called as she opened her eyes to the situation. "What are you doing?! Move the fuck over!" she added, activating her amulet even more. Her eyes glowed with an infinitely deep green, and she let out a roar, standing up and lifting the trailer off of them. Danny smiled, passing out in the middle of the street as Ava looked down at him in horror.

"HOLY SHIT, DANNY!" she called, dropping to her knees. "SOMEONE CALL 911!" She called, picking Danny up, and looking around in desperation .The fazed citizens just stared back at her, unsure of what to do. "Fine!" She called, running with Danny over her shoulders, before tripping and falling to the ground from fatigue.

…

The three woke up in a familiar place, the SHIELD hospital in Queens, to see the nurses and the uniform bags waiting at the door. "Why does this happen. Every. God. Damn. Time?" Luke muttered in frustration. Ava laughed quietly, and Danny attempted to sit up, but winced and decided to slump back down. "You, Danny, were hurt the most. I don't recommend going back into the fray for awhile." Carrie said.

"And you" she said, turning to Ava "Your ribs and shoulder are still a bit damaged from your first incursion. You should be more careful" she said, with Ava nodding in response.

"Well, that does it" Carrie said, checking a couple things off on her clipboard, before walking off. "Wait" Luke perked up, "How did you...y'know fix me up?" "Nanobots and stuff" Carrie said, winking, before walking off again.

"C'mon everybody" Ava said, slipping out of bed gracefully. "Little help?" Danny asked meekly, and Ava was over at the bedside. She helped Danny up slowly, and soon he was ready to leave. Danny felt nothing but love and respect for his friend, as she grabbed him, and helped him out of the door.

"So about our costumes?" Luke said, walking over to the two. "Don't look at me, I ain't doing shit for that" She said, as Danny burst into laughter. "Where next?" Ava asked Luke as soon as the three were out. "Rand Tower, I assume" he responded, as the group went to look for a cab or bus.

…

Luke picked up the Hearkenscythe inquisitively, and asked Danny "What exactly IS this?" Danny smiled, with deep nostalgia and a tiny bit of sadness in his eyes. "The Hearkenscythe is something very precious to me, for it is the property of the King of K'un-lun" He proclaimed. Ava gasped a little, "You're a king?!" "Well, I mean, yeah" Danny responded blushing.

"The staff contains hidden blades that when activated rotate, absorbing the chi of the user into a high powered projectile" Danny explained. Luke marveled, nodding, before throwing his friend back the staff. "Obviously, I am not worthy of this." Danny said somberly, before catching it nonchalantly.

The other two stared at him in confusion, but Danny reaffirmed his statement with "I've been out of training for so long; I can't use this. Even with my friend at my side I cannot beat one card throwing maniac. I need to train, and to do that I need isolation. If you'll excuse me.." Danny concluded, before walking past the two.

 _Wow, never seen Danny so worked up before,_ thought Luke, _Guess it must be his jealousy of Sam_. Ava just stood there quietly, before asking Luke in a soft voice "What's up with Dan?" He shrugged, knowing full well he knew what the problem was. Ava bit her lip, before wanting to follow Danny, but decided against it.

Danny laid on the floor, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about his life, and what could've been different. If he hadn't gone to the Himalayas, his parents wouldn't have died. If his parents hadn't died, he would've never lived in K'un-Lun and met Colleen. If he never lived in K'un-Lun, he would've never fled, losing the Hearkenscythe on the icy mountains. If he had never fled, he would've never met Luke, and by association Ava.

Ava. She had changed Danny, maybe not as much as Colleen, but everytime he looked at her he thought of Colleen. He missed her, but was glad someone as friendly as Ava was there fighting alongside him. She was nearly as good of a friend as Colleen was, all of those years ago. Danny slowly got up, sitting and meditating quietly. He definitely felt like a man out of time; he barely knew the culture of today, and felt connecting with Luke and Ava was really difficult.

Luke kept up with hip hop trends, and Ava was an avid movie fan, telling him about titles she felt like he should've known. He felt isolated even though he was surrounded by good friends. He finally opened his eyes, with fire in them, flipping backwards quickly activating the Hearkenscythe, and aiming it at the invisible enemy in front of him. He felt a tinge of sadness before putting the staff back down.

He'd need a lot of training before being able to regain the strength and discipline he had in his teenage years. Living homeless had been tough, but not nearly as tough as living in prison like Luke had. Or how Ava grew up without a dad. He then realized that the strength they have, the losses they faced is really what the Heroes stand for.

Danny smiled to himself, chuckling before picking up the Hearkenscythe again to train. But he'd need somewhere to do it…

…

"Do you know by any chance where Danny went?" Ava asked, just out of the shower, to Luke around the corner. "Um, no…" Luke replied, before quickly turning around, extremely flustered. "Oh…" Ava sighed, walking away slowly. She stopped for a second, saying "I just want to talk to him, you know? I want to understand him, you know, like you do" Luke looked back at her, saying "Not even I know everything about him. We're homies, but.." "Cool" She said, going to her designated room in the Rand Tower.

Danny stood on a hill outside of Manhattan, throwing orbs of chi into the horizon with force and purpose. He had been there for almost a day now, feeling confidence that he hadn't had since Stick was alive. He swung the scythe over his head, activating the blade propellor, and throwing another orb, backflipping, and landing on the ground with a loud thump.

When he finished, he slung the scythe over his back and watched the sunset. He stopped for a second, thinking about returning to his friends, but decided against it. _Good thing I brought these camping supplies,_ Danny thought, setting up camp as the sky turned shades of pink.

At this point, the other Heroes returned home, and Ava was especially distraught. She laid on her bed naked, crying over where Danny went. _Why would he do this, especially now?_ She thought, as she began to slowly wind down. She rolled over, and was ready to put on her costume and go looking for Danny when she received a text. It was from Sam asking her for assistance at his manor.

She gasped, leaping from her bead, racing to get her costume on. She ran down the stairs, as quietly as she could, but encountered her mom at the bottom. Her mother turned around, with weary eyes, asking "¿Adónde te diriges?" "No te preocupes mamá, es sólo una llamada, me refiero a una misión. Heheh…" Ava said, stumbling awkwardly. "¿Dónde están tus amigos? Estos dos hombres buenos .." Her mom asked.

Ava fell silent, and responded with nothing, simply leaving the house. Her mom watched her with confusion, _Did something go wrong here?_

…

She arrived at the Alexander Manor, which had been surrounded by police. Ava shrugged off any weird thoughts she had, as she scaled his house. She silently entered the main window, scaring Sam a bit, as he closed his grand piano. "Why in the everloving hell did you invite ME here? Where's Luke?" She asked, speaking awfully fast.

"It's fine, I don't need Lucas." Sam explained. Ava looked at him disdainfully now, stating "Luke is fucking bulletproof." "But he isn't card proof" Sam responded, "Where was he when you and Daniel fought this Card Killer?" "Well, he was protecting you, no?"Ava asked. "No, he lied on the sidewalk calling for an ambulance" He responded.

"Hey, don't underestimate our leader" Ava roared at him, "He's the creator and driving force of our group." "Which is fine, I just don't require him" Sam said, matter-of-factly. "But why?" Ava asked a final time, before getting an offer from Sam. "Because socialites like me need people to talk to over dinner, no?" Ava blushed, before thinking about the situation. Danny had abandoned her for god knew what, and didn't seem like he'd be coming back soon.

But she really respected him still, deep down. _It's not like we're an item, so how much would one dinner hurt?_ She thought, accepting Sam's offer. She then smirked discreetly, thinking that she could use this as leverage.

Sam thanked her, as the two sat down to eat. "So, are you going to take off the costume? Or, at least the mask?" Sam asked, a little confused. Ava responded candidly, winking as well "A girl's gotta keep her secrets, huh?". Sam stared at her a second, before cutting into a sirloin steak. Ava lifted up the bottom portion of her mask, taking a very small bite of her meal, before putting down her utensils.

"Hey, uh, Sam?" she asked. "Hmmmm?" He responded. "I'm going to make you an offer you won't say no to" "OH?" Sam asked, more intrigued. "So…." Ava started, before leaping over the table and grabbing him ferociously, saying, "So what I want you to do is send a couple of your guys to find a friend of mine, see?" Sam seemed rather unfazed by this vicious attack, and simply said, "I would've done it either way, you know" "Really?" Ava said, "Cuz I thought British rich dudes were the jackasses of society…"

"Only on film" Sam responded, sighing, adding "You really thought that about me…?" "Well, I thought you were a little egotistical, maybe a bit braggy and pushy, but not THAT bad" Ava explained, still wrapped around Sam. "Hm, thanks for the advice. By the way, your suit is awfully tight. Might want to cover up your sensitives a bit more." Ava gasped, and left the room in a huff, taking into consideration his input.

"You better look for him!" Ava called, "And thanks for the dinner I guess!" Sam chased after her, grabbing her arm, and asking "But who?"

…

The next morning Luke met up with Ava on a street corner in Harlem. "Man, you shoulda seen me, I just saw Method Man. And like, we just swapped hoodies" Luke said, beaming. "Cool" Ava responded quickly. "So, what about Sam? Did you two…?" Luke asked. "NO!" Ava called, "We had an argument. And then made up. And now Sam's men are looking for Danny…"

"What did Sam get out of this?" Luke asked smirking. "He got to keep his favorite suit from accidentally being torn to shreds" Ava responded, with Luke taking note of how savage Ava could get. _Wouldn't wanna mess with this chick,_ Luke thought. "So, any progress on where Danny-boy is?" He asked, with Ava responding, "No, not yet. Although…" She trailed off, whipping out her phone. She checked something, and gasped, muttering "Holy shit", and saying "Luke! They found him, we gotta go now"

"That urgent?" Luke replied, running after her. She didn't look back.

…

Danny was in critical condition at the hospital. One of Sam's security guards found him in a river outside of town near a large hill; he seemed to have slipped in and hit his head. Luckily, his head had been kept above water, but it still was not that great. Ava sat there next to him, thinking the whole time, _What had gotten into him?_

He woke up, smiling to see his friends, and said "Totally worth it man" The other two stared back at him strangely, and Danny responded "My soul has been cleansed" "Whaddya mean?" Ava asked hastily, to which Danny responded "I have a deeper love for myself, my friends, and my special gifts. Know what I'm saying?" "Kinda" Ava said, through some tears.

At that moment, Carrie entered with her clipboard, saying "I know this may not be my business PER SE, but have you guys seen the news recently? Someone was just murdered with a playing card." "WHO?!" both Ava and Luke shouted. "Just some hobo, but still…" She said, trailing off.

Luke sighed, digging his head into his palm, saying to himself "What do we do now?" "We fight. Or at least, I do" Ava declared. "What?! Ava, you know that none of us can beat him!" Luke retorted with anguish. "Somebody has to do something, for Sam. For Danny. For all those living in fear. Somebody's gotta step up to the plate, and it better fucking well be me" Ava monolouged, before jumping out of the window gracefully.

Luke ran to it to see her hit the ground with a roll, and run off. "WHOO! Look at her go!" Carrie shouted excitedly. Everyone was looking at her now. "Heh, I wish I could wear something like what she's got" Carrie added awkwardly, walking off. Luke thought about going after Ava, but decided against it. He had to make sure Danny got better. They were the best of friends, and nothing would keep them apart.

…

"HEY! Punk!" Ava called to the drug dealer in the alley. He turned around in fear, recognizing the voice. "W-w-what?" He asked shakily. Ava leaped at him, grabbing him and declaring "You know that fag who's killing people with cards? I want you and your disgusting friends to keep a look out for him, eh? And if you find him, I want you to tell him someone's waiting for him at that church on 138th street."

"Why would I do that?" The dealer declared, gaining more confidence. "Because...you like your penis don't you?" She said, extending her sharp claws. "Well shit man, look just don't come back here, ok? I'll do it myself, I promise" He declared, before rushing off. "They grow up so fast" she said, faux swooningly.

…

She sat waiting in the darkness, not exactly sure what she should be doing with her time. Although, she did have a confrontation with the Tiger Goddess inside her, and it didn't come out too pretty. _Fuckin horny ass piece of shit slut,_ She thought angrily, laying under a pew. _Do you really expect me to flick during a mission? Or like, at all?_ She asked to it, and got the response of _Why yes darling, a metaphysical being such as I has desires and needs. Why, it didn't feel that long ago when my other slaves just kind of let it happen…_

"You know what?!" Ava hissed quietly, _That sounds a lot like rape, and I don't mess with nobody like that?_ _¿Consíguelo?_ The Goddess sighed, responding with _Yes ma'am_. _That's RIGHT son_ She responded back, nearly laughing. _C'mon girl, focus_ She thought, calming down and breathing steadily. _Y'know what could really help you focus?_ The Goddess asked.

 _Oh, I dunno? Is it perhaps going down on one's self?_ Ava asked. _  
Why yes!_ The goddess replied happily. _Shut up_ Ava thought, moaning eternally. Just before Ava broke, and decided to leave, she heard a sound. She braced, preparing for whatever came through the door. At first, she heard nothing, but after a couple of seconds, she heard a voice call out "Hello? Is a sermon happening here today?!" Ava kept quiet, curious of who was asking that.

She felt the urge to respond to this timid man, but kept down, shifting uncomfortably a little. "WHO'S THAT?" The man called, sounding scared. Ava was sweating now, scared of what was about to happen. She shifted more, making a noise this time. Suddenly, something whizzed through the air, decimating a portion of the pew to her left. "Shit" She whispered, rolling under the pew to her right.

"I know where you are" the man called. _Well, I know that Bullseye is here now._ Ava thought, silently sliding on the floor, trying to get to him. Bullseye turned, trying to find his hidden adversary. "You know, if I hear one more sound from you, I'll end you with one flick of my wrist" He said, seeming confident.

Ava hid, stretching out completely under the pew right in front of Bullseye. She was so close, she could stab his leg, and none would be the wiser. "Since you don't wanna play, you wanna hear a story? Yes? I dunno, it might scare you" Bullseye monolouged rhetorically. _Who does he think I am?_ Ava internally grumbled, before deciding to listen to whatever this psycho had to say.

"Well, my life as I can remember began one summer day. You see, even when I was born, everyone knew I was special. Some kids thought of it as my brother's mental illness, others would soon figure out what I could do. They used to say..., y'know I can't even remember my name. Funny how some things can just slip your mind. Let's just say I'm Lester. They used to say "Lester, what's up with your spastic bro?" And I used to say nothing. Man, I loved that kid, my bro. So one day, me and the boys were playing baseball, I was the pitcher, and the kid at bat lemme tell ya was a real dick. I was just about to ready to throw my meanest curve ball, when the dick said "Hurry up spastic, we haven't got all day!" My brother stopped, he was at third base, and he broke down and cried. It was sad, it broke me. And I got mad. So mad I threw that baseball right at the kid. You know what it did?..."

"...It sailed straight through the fucker's head, even through the ump's head. Those kids were dead, bleeding profusely. Everyone went running and screaming. And that's how it started, you know. Fear and rage and whatnot. So here I am. And lemme tell you, I know how to throw. And how to aim. There's a slim chance you'll make it out alive. Especially without your hardy friend." Bullseye said, finishing his story. Ava thought for a second, feeling sadness all throughout. "Look, Lester...I'm sorry" Ava called to him, leaping out from her hiding place.

"You're serious? Sorry for me, I killed two KIDS, you monster" He said, laughing to himself. Ava froze for a second, before scratching him with her claws. He reeled for a second, before punching her across her face. She fell, Bullseye following. She felt his hands around her throat, squeezing the life out of her. "Please...stop…" She said, frightened for the first time in awhile. "I'm sorry, but I thought you were alright with murder. Seeing as it's a sympathetic cause for you…" He replied, laughing maniacally.

Ava gasped as deeply as she could, mustering up enough energy to knock him off of her. She retched, trying to retain normal breathing, as a card nearly hit her. She grimaced, before flipping up and towards Bullseye, kicking him in the face. "GAH! You're quick when you want to be!" Bullseye called, spinning towards her, and throwing an entire pew.

It collided with her, shattering, and sending her flying back. _Please, Goddess, give me the strength I need_ Ava thought desperately. _I'll need quite a bit of favors, but fine…_ It responded. Ava's eyes glowed more intensely, as her body wracked with energy. _Jesus Christ_ She thought through tears. She lunged at him, elbowing him with enough force to send him flying back ten feet or so. He lay on the floor, out of breath and gasping. Ava walked over to him, and spoke in an inhuman voice "Time to die".

"Ooh, saucy" He said, putting his hands behind his head. She bent down to pick him up, and at the same moment, Bullseye whipped out two cards from his hidden shoulder holsters. The cards flew towards Ava, imbedding deeply in both of her shoulders. Ava lost concentration of her power, as she roared in pain. She bled profusely, staining both of her costume's sleeves a deep crimson. _Bone had to have shattered_ She thought in fleeting moments of consciousness, _Right? I mean, I hurt my right one pretty badly. And now I'm going to be killed in this church because of my own hubris. Great._

She fell to her knees, grabbing her still bleeding arms, trying to retain feeling. "Help" she muttered meekly, as Bullseye whipped out a knife from his sleeve. "Face it Tiger" He proclaimed, "You just hit the jackpot". Ava stared at the knife, the glint of the light off of the blade, the reflection of he terrified eyes in the lower half of the blade near the hilt.

 _Is this me? Is this what I stand for? Fear in the face of adversary. No. Just no._ Ava thought, rolling to dodge the knife swipe. She nearly yelled out in pain again, as the card on her bad shoulder dug deeper and deeper. The card had nearly sunk all the way in, letting loose another torrent of browner, murkier blood. She stood up, using most of her strength to do so, and raising her fists, proclaiming "Wanna go?"

Bullseye smirked. It was a terrible grin that sent shivers throughout Ava's broken body. She swung, missing terribly, and stumbling to the floor again. "You tried" Bullseye declared, "That's what I'll carve into your gravestone" "Not if I break all your fucking fingers" Ava retorted, smirking. Bullseye shook his head, before swiping at Ava. She twirled, barely dodging the blade as it ripped into her costume, revealing skin on her back.

She kicked Bullseye square in the chest, knocking him back temporarily. He snarled, turning to her, ready to charge at her, when the large doors of the church caved in with a loud bang. When the dust cleared, she saw him. Standing there, with a huge grin on his face. It was Danny, glowing fist and emerald garb.

She smiled, wanting no one else but him to be standing there to save her. He charged in, iron-fisting a pew, sending shards and splinters at Bullseye. He quickly dodged, but not before getting impaled by many fragments of wood. "Wait up, Fisty!" Luke said, following suit. Bullseye snarled, realizing that the day was lost for him.

Bullseye ran, but not before stomping on Ava's face, sending a torrent of blood from her nose. "AVA!" Danny called, running after Bullseye. "I've got her?" Luke called, unsure of what to do. Ava smiled as much as she could through the pain, "I need to see a doctor" "Obviously" Luke responded, kneeling down next to her. "What were you thinking?!" Luke asked angrily. "Danny needed vengeance. And….and...gahh. He needed someone to avenge him" Ava said, groaning in pain. "People who are living need no avenging" Luke explaining, picking her up as daintily as he could.

"Easy on my ass, it's my first time" She said cheekily, sticking her blood-soaking tongue out. Luke blushed heavily, brushing off her strange comment, before running outside to get her to an ambulance.

Danny chased Bullseye up the spiral staircase, leading to the bell tower. "Y'know...Fisty, I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu" Bullseye called down, Danny turned to look for him, but could not find him anywhere. "Poor poor Fisty? Can I get your real vigilante name?" Bullseye called down. "It's Iron Fist" Danny responded, before adding "Shithead"

Soon, he reached the bell tower, and spun around wildly, looking for the silent killer. He heard a tiny tapping sound, and immediately ducked. _He musta thrown a card off of the bell, that cheeky little.._ Danny thought, before confronting the enemy. He lunged at him, throwing two quick punches. Bullseye barely blocked, feeling the hard knuckles of Danny against him. Danny smirked, spin-kicking Bullseye, before charging up his Iron Fist. He ran at the man in black, not hitting him but the large bell.

It clanged, sending a deafening echo, and the two men, out of the open window and onto the steep roof. Luke and Ava looked up at the two, worried as all-hell. Suddenly, Ava heard a tiny voice, the voice of the Goddess, but much weaker than usual. _Ava, my friend, I have to tell you something…_ It said. _And what's that, I'm kinda busy right now_ Ava responded. _You're dying_ said the voice of Hector, and Ava internally gasped, almost crying out. _Hector?!_ She called. _YOU ARE DYING, Ava. The ambulance won't come in time, you're going to die. That is, unless you let go of all inhibitions…_

 _What does that mean?_ Ava asked. _Trust us sis ,trust ussss_ Hector finished, trailing off. _I need to use my energies Ava, this time, I give_ The Goddess said, releasing a green gaseous aura all around Ava. Luke dropped her in fright, cringing as Ava hit the ground. "Sorry" He squeaked meekly. She convulsed as the energy pulsated, standing up with defiant confidence and smirking under her mask. Her inhuman voice turned into the voice of a beast; it seemed as though Ava was gone and only the Tiger remained.

"Um….Ava?" Luke asked, looking down at her. " **Ava is not here, not now at least** " She responded, running towards the fray of the battle. "Ummm, WHAT. THE. FUCK." Luke exclaimed, in shock, before slowly following Ava, picking up pace as he went. Ava jumped, climbing the wall towards the combatting Danny and Bullseye. Danny narrowly dodged a card swipe, but he had already been hit.

Even worse, he was being backed up to the edge of the rickety roof by Bullseye, who was grinning madly the whole way. " **I'm coming Hon...Daniel"** Ava declared, as she flipped up to the roof. "Damn she's persistent" Bullseye cried, throwing the bloodstained card at Ava. She caught it crumpling it, before walking calmly towards Bullseye.

"AVA! What the hell, I got this" Danny called. "You sure?" Bullseye called, grabbing Danny and thrusting him towards the edge of the building. He fell, but not before dragging Bullseye with him. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ava called, with her own voice, rather than the Goddess's.

She lunged at the two, grabbing at Danny. _You must really love this man to fling yourself into the unknown like this_ The Goddess remarked. Ava snarled and barked, _Shut the hell up and do your job_. Ava grabbed Danny, just barely, straining to grab the ledge. And Bullseye fell, shouting the whole way. And then, it ended.

Danny was sweating, and panting, looking up at Ava with a newfound feeling of deep trust for her. He quietly gasped "Thank you, Ava" " **Ava? Who is this Ava?** " The Goddess said cheekily through Ava's body, confusing Danny immensely. Luke burst onto the roof, calling to his friends "I've got you!" He hoisted both Ava and Danny with ease onto the roof. The three sat there for a moment, catching their breath. Suddenly Ava moaned, as the Goddess exited her body, and she returned.

"What the hell just happened?" Ava asked. "I dunno, you ask me?" Danny responded, smiling at her. "Guys, where's the body" Luke said, peering over the edge. "Huh?" Ava asked. "Bullseye's body" Luke responded. "Umm…." Both Danny and Ava said, worried of the implications. "Where would he have gone?" Ava asked. "I dunno, but all that matters now is that the mission is over" Luke said, "We showed him whose town this is"

"Word" Danny said, fist bumping Luke unexpectedly. "Where will WE go?" Ava asked. "Home. Or Sam's place. We gotta get our reward" Danny explained, as the three quietly giggled.

…

Sam had paid the Heroes and sent them off, finally returning to whatever normal was at this point. _I can't believe superheroes exist. In this city. That's just some serious summer movie stuff right there._ He laughed to himself, as he removed his favorite suit, throwing it to the floor and watching it fall. He undressed and got into his nightwear, before realizing his room was significantly colder than the hallway was.

He immediately felt afraid, as he turned to the window to the see that it was open. "Where are you?!" Sam shouted, turning frantically, near tears at this point. "Just kill me, DO IT!" He shouted at the night. He stood at the center of his room for a minute or so, before realizing he was actually alone.

He went back into his standard night ritual, and sat on his bed, deciding that closing his window would be smart. But then he noticed something. On his drawer next to his bed was a single playing card, but instead of a familiar face like a jack or a queen, it was a skull. A gruesome, twisted, screaming face. _Oh gods…._ Sam thought, realizing that the Card Killer had been here. He heard his door shut, and sensed movement behind him.

"Don't move a muscle" the man said, placing something rather sharp to Sam's neck. "What do you want from me?" Sam asked, terrified. "I want to see what you look like at your weakest. And I want you to never feel safe again, capische?" The man said. "And how'd you do that?" Sam asked, gaining confidence. "I know where you live and could kill you with anything" the man responded, laughing, before forcing Sam to his window.

"If you tell anyone I'm still in town, I'll gut you, you hear me?" The man rhetorically asked, before jumping out of the window into the night. Sam sat there, unsure of what to say, do or think.

Next Time…

A reporter investigates the rumours of an enhanced zombie, as he tries to keep his friends and family safe, Meanwhile, the Heroes search for the Scarlet Spider to take him in


End file.
